Today Activision revealed that the punk group Dropkick Murphys will be performing at Call of Duty XP. The Dropkick Murphys will play at the opening night of the convention.

"With an unbeatable lineup of real-world and in-game experiences, Call of Duty XP was already poised to be an historic event for fans of the franchise," said Eric Hirshberg, Activision Publishing CEO. "The addition of Dropkick Murphys just makes XP that much more memorable. Few bands fit the bill better—we're thrilled to have them performing on opening day."

The Dropkick Murphys are known for combining punk rock with Celtic folk music. Since forming in 1996, they've released seven studio albums. Their latest, 2001's Going Out in Style, reached #6 on the Billboard charts. Their song "Tessie" played after Red Sox home game wins. "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" was featured in the film The Departed. Yes, it's "that" song from The Departed.

Call of Duty XP is a new, annual convention devoted to Call of Duty. It will take place September 2nd and 3rd in Los Angeles. Attendees will get a chance to play Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer, the first time the game will be available to the public. A $1 million tournament and paintball are among the other festivities planned.

The Dropkick Murphys aren't the only musical performance scheduled for XP. Yesterday Activision announced that Kanye West will perform at the closing concert. Looks like Activision decided to get two very different acts just so that a wider range of gamers would have some live music to look forward to.

All this entertainment isn't free, though. Tickets for Call Of Duty XP went on sale July 19th for $150 apiece. The proceeds go toward the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit dedicated to helping returning vets find work.